An eco-friendly Carl's Jr.

Carpinteria, California is the home to the newest green fast food restaurant. The new Carl's Jr. location will serve as a flagship store enabling the parent company, CKE Restaurants, to track the success of the green building measures used. If the results look promising, CKE Restaurants will expand the program to Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants across the United States.

"Our current company-wide environmental initiatives are either cost neutral or result in a cost savings benefit, providing for a better planet while also contributing to the bottom line. The launch of our first green Carl’s Jr. restaurant, while not cost-neutral, will help us view our eco-friendly options in action.” Source: CKE Restaurants

The restaurant isn't LEED-certified but has taken several eco-friendly measures including the use of ENERGY STAR rated appliances, a solar reflective roof and a solar array, LED lighting in the parking lot, the use of low VOC products and an energy management system.

Carl's Jr. is not the first green fast food restaurant; McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts are just two other companies that have eco-friendly locations in the U.S.

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